Latest news with #SunshineOnLeith
Edinburgh Reporter
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Celtic & Hibs Shine in Streaming Era Study of UK's Most Influential Football Songs
New research from BoyleSports ranks Scotland's top anthems in digital culture league table. Whether being sung in the stands of Celtic Park or bellowing on exit from Easter Road following a crucial win, Scottish football songs are holding their own in a digital culture dominated by YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. Image: Celtic Park | Credit: Getty This study from the football betting team at BoyleSports assessed 16 of the UK's most iconic football songs. To measure the cultural impact of these football club anthems, data from three key digital platforms: YouTube (total views), Spotify (total streams), and Instagram (the number of times the anthem's sound was used in posts or stories) was gathered. Each anthem was ranked from 1 to 16 on each platform, with 16 representing the top-performing anthem. These rankings were then added together to give each anthem a combined score out of 48, so a higher total meant the anthem was performing well across all platforms. To make the results easier to understand and compare, these totals were then converted into a standardised score out of 100 by calculating what percentage of the maximum possible score each anthem achieved. Topping the list with a perfect score was 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein number embraced by both Liverpool and Celtic. With over 87 million YouTube views and 114 million Spotify streams, it remains a defining piece of both clubs' identity and proves its enduring emotional power far beyond matchday. Another standout came from Edinburgh, with Hibernian's beloved anthem 'Sunshine On Leith' finishing joint sixth overall. The Proclaimers' classic continues to spark viral moments thanks to its spine-tingling renditions at Easter Road – and its influence has now crossed into digital culture, backed by strong Instagram and Spotify numbers. Meanwhile, Rangers' 'Follow Follow' placed mid-table in terms of overall digital presence. Despite its traditional status and recognisable tune among fans, the track finished joint 13th, showing less traction across global streaming platforms compared to newer or more widely shared songs. Heart of Midlothian's entry, 'The Heart's Song,' placed 16th overall – a reminder that while tradition remains powerful locally, it hasn't yet translated into a wider digital presence like other UK anthems. A spokesperson for BoyleSports, who conducted the study, said: 'Football songs are more than just pre-match rituals – they've become cultural landmarks in the digital age. 'Songs like 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and 'Sunshine On Leith' continue to capture hearts and reach new generations through streaming and social media. 'These tracks aren't just sung in stadiums anymore – they're reimagined in Instagram stories, TikToks and Spotify playlists around the world.' Full rankings: Rank Anthem (Club) Overall Score (/100) 1 You'll Never Walk Alone (Liverpool & Celtic) 100 2 Local Hero (Newcastle United) 83 3 Dance Of The Knights/Elevation (Sunderland) 73 4 The Angel – North London Forever (Arsenal) 71 5 Glory Glory Man United (Manchester United) 69 6= Sunshine On Leith (Hibernian) 63 6= Mull Of Kintyre (Nottingham Forest) 63 8 Blue Is The Colour (Chelsea) 60 9 Palladio (Fulham) 56 10 I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (West Ham) 52 11 Marching On Together (Leeds United) 42 12 Hi Ho Silver Lining (Wolves & Aston Villa) 40 13= Blue Moon (Man City) 25 13= Follow Follow (Rangers) 25 15 Z-Cars (Everton) 21 16 The Heart's Song (Heart of Midlothian) 8 Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Raphael Sallinger hopes to be on pitch as fans sing ‘Sunshine on Leith'
Hibs new signing Raphael Sallinger is looking forward to being on the Easter Road pitch and hearing the fans sing 'Sunshine on Leith'. The 6ft 5' shot-stopper has committed to a three-year deal with the club and revealed his excitement at getting started ahead of the 2025/26 campaign following his first visit to HTC and Easter Road Stadium. 'I'm very happy,' Sallinger told Hibs TV: 'I think Hibs is a great club with great fans in a great city. I'm very much looking forward to being here and playing successful football. 'I think, especially for a goalkeeper, it's good when you're here at the start of the pre-season. It's a new country for me and new teammates. 'I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and I'm happy to be here.' The 29-year-old has spent the entirety of his career up to this point in Austria and Germany, most recently starring for Austrian Bundesliga outfit, and Austrian Cup finalists, TSV Hartberg. Sallinger arrives in Leith targeting the first-choice goalkeeping position, and is excited to perform in front of large crowds at Easter Road. 'For me it was always a target for me to play outside of Austria. Austria is a good league, but in Germany, Scotland or the UK football is different. 'To be in Scotland and to play in front of a lot of fans was always a target for me. 'I hope I can help the team a lot and I hope that we can reach our targets, and also get into a European group stage. Maybe we can even have a better season than last season.' Sallinger also touched on his awe at the Hibees' support, before admitting his affection for one beloved Hibs anthem in particular. 'I've watched the last Hibs' two games and the fans in the crowd are really impressive. 'Especially after the game against Rangers when the fans were singing Sunshine On Leith. It was pretty amazing and pretty impressive to me. 'I'm looking forward to having this feeling on the pitch.' Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lotto winner Jane Park makes cheeky jibe as Robbie Williams song choice divides crowd
Robbie Williams' impromptu performance of an Edinburgh football club's anthem received a mixed reaction from the crowd at Murrayfield on Saturday night. As well as performing his biggest hits during the first leg of his Britpop tour, he decided to ditch the stage and head towards some unsuspecting members of the crowd mid-performance. At one point, Robbie, dressed in pink, appeared to serenade one fortunate fan by touching her on the shoulder and encouraging the crowd to join in. READ MORE: Edinburgh firefighters rush to blaze on busy street as major response scrambled READ MORE: Moment Edinburgh passenger approaches group on train and makes 'shocking' comments However, the song in question was Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers - an iconic tune associated with Hibs and the club's fans. Many were quick to point out on social media how Robbie decided to sing that particular song while performing in the west of the city and near Tynecastle - the home of Hibs' city rivals Hearts. One well-known Hibs fan who couldn't resist posting a video of the rendition was Edinburgh EuroMillions winner Jane Park. She wrote on X: "Robbie Williams singing sunshine on Leith over in Gorgie," along with a laughing face emoji and green love heart. Once finished singing Robbie said: "Now there's two things here. One is I think that's a better song than You'll Never Walk Alone and the other thing is why don't Heart of Midlothian boo that song? I don't get it?" He added: "Are you here Hearts?" to which cheers can be heard from the crowd before Robbie quickly shuts down all talk of football rivalry by quipping: "Ok that's enough of that s**t." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Many people just won't realise how much of an accomplishment this is'
We asked you for your views following Hibernian's title-winning heroics at what some of you had to say:George: Brilliant, just brilliant. Such a gutsy performance, aligned with loads of skill, across the Sunshine on Leith during the summer. Come back refreshed and take all you have into the Champions Well done Hibs, an amazing achievement. The feel good factor is alive and kicking at I thought that was it for the rest of Scottish women's football when Celtic and Rangers went professional in 2020. How pleased I am to be proved wrong. Well done to all involved at Hibs, an absolutely phenomenal performance from our Hibee: Awesome achievement for Hibs. Many people just won't realise how much of an accomplishment this is. Congratulations, Hibees!Alan: Well what an end of season for Hibs women, going one better than the men's team and winning the league. Thoroughly deserved and Grant Scott take a bow - what management throughout the season. This team epitomises what a team can do when they truly are a team together! Fantastic advertisement for the women's game in Scotland. Think I can hear 'Sunshine on Leith' all the way down here in Llangollen!
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Hibs' homage to Gray was a touch of class at a club in perfect unison
Over the course of Hibs' spectacular rise from bottom feeders to Best of the Rest, for the moment at least, it has been the post-match vibe at Easter Road in the wake of big results that has attracted all the attention. Until now. Home wins over Celtic and Hearts caught the eye and tugged the heartstrings thanks to the rousing renditions of Sunshine On Leith, the players wrapping arms round each other's shoulders and looking on in wonder into the choir in the East Stand. On Saturday, though, it was different. The atmosphere was crackling before kick-off. The crowd was large and expectant and in situ relatively early — by Scottish standards, anyway, where downing the last of your pint at 2.59pm and hotfooting it to the turnstiles is seen as the epitome of good timekeeping. The pre-match tifo display behind the goal — celebrating 'Sir David Gray. Our Leader. Our Legend' — was just terrific. Cap doffed to the organisers. Easter Road had been in the process of establishing itself as something of a fortress anyway. That's the old Cabbage and Ribs on an eight-game winning streak at home. Seven of those have been in the league and that's the best run since 2018. If this kind of atmosphere can be built upon longer-term, though, it really will become a venue any other club will dread visiting. There is a real symbiosis developing between fans and players there at the moment. Gray referred to it in his post-match analysis, that the remarkable run that has propelled Hibs to third spot, three points clear of Aberdeen with just three games left to play, has been fuelled by the sense of everyone pulling together. Listen, the destination of the points in this game was never in doubt. Two goals in the first 14 minutes from home captain Martin Boyle and striker Mykola Kuharevich — gifted, it has to be said, by some absolutely scandalous defending from Dundee United — saw to that. Yet, the hosts did go through something of a sticky spell early in the second 45 with visiting substitute Kristijan Trapanovski putting the ball in the net. What was noticeable, though, was that the home supporters stayed behind their team. Never wavered. Kept pushing them on. That's not always been the case and a late effort from substitute Dwight Gayle made the scoreline more reflective of the 90 minutes. When asked about the tifo display in his honour, Gray was typically self-deprecating. He quickly turned the focus onto the players deserving credit for getting the fanbase behind them and then thanked the punters for their role in the club's ever-improving fortunes. While he may be uneasy with the praise, the 37-year-old deserves every bit of it. Brendan Rodgers is on the brink of a Treble at Celtic while John McGlynn has won back-to-back promotions with Falkirk, but Gray deserves to be up there with them on the shortlists for the Manager of the Year awards. There could be no argument if any of the three came out on top. Gray won't be winning any silverware, but to finish third and secure European football would be a fantastic feat given where Hibs were just over five months ago. Thanks to a 4-1 hosing at Dundee, they were rock bottom of the league after 13 games. Gray looked a dead man walking. He'd been given the job amid reports of friction and disagreement between owner Ian Gordon and Bill Foley's Black Knight investment group. It's in such circumstances that you see the measure of a person, though, and Gray comported himself splendidly throughout that period. He never hid from the team's shortcomings, took everything on the chin, was honest about his own position and belied his own inexperience as a manager by leading the club through the storm. It was impressive and deserves great credit. Not to mention impressive tifo displays. Of course, European football next season remains a target for United as well, despite this hurtful reverse. Hibs were by far the better team on Saturday, but the visitors shot themselves in the foot with some awful errors at the back. There remains a very good chance the top five in the Premiership will be in UEFA competition next term, though, and the Tangerines are five points clear of St Mirren in fifth — not to mention just three behind Aberdeen. They just have to clear this game out of the pipes tout de suite and focus on the fact there's still everything to play for. Goodwin may not have been mentioned for any Manager of the Year gongs, but his work cannot be underplayed. This is the Tannadice club's first season back in the Premiership and they are still competing for third. As he pointed out, they have a relatively small squad and players playing through injuries. They have done terrifically well — and so has Goodwin. United's decision to take him on two years ago was met with surprise, given his disastrous spell as manager of Aberdeen, which ended with a Scottish Cup loss to Darvel and a six-goal hammering at Easter Road. In truth, that period could have finished him, but he has shown real self-belief and backed that up with an impressive body of work on Tayside. Gray's story of redemption has been one of the major plotlines of this season, but Goodwin's is equally worthy of respect and admiration. And if his players do secure a return to European football, maybe even a tifo of his own, United fans.
